QINGDAO has a considerable history of military affairs. An ancient battery, the forts and army camps tell the story of the city’s important role in defending the country’s east coast, said Zhang Shufeng, a researcher of the city’s institute of social science.

Zhang was invited to work with the recovery of the battery in the famous Qingdao Hill Battery. This was the biggest battery in Qingdao when Germany occupied the city during colonial times. Although the artillery has long disappeared, visitors and scholars are still amazed by its emplacement equipment and location.

Standing by the battery, visitors can have a bird’s-eye view of Taiping Mountain, Zhongshan Park, Huiquan Square, Qingdao Bay, and Xinhao Mountain.

There were five batteries to defend the coastal areas in Qingdao and four batteries to defend attacks from the land. The German army also built a batch of smaller batteries in the city during the war between Japan and Germany.

Of the four military camps left in the city, the Bismarck Military Camp was the biggest. There were underground tunnels in the camp which can link to areas such as the German governor’s palace (today’s Qingdao Guest House) and the battery, said Zhang.

Before 1898, Germany had spent more than 20 years selecting their overseas military base and they eventually chose Qingdao. The city was designed to become their navy base, harbor and overseas administrative center. Their only overseas fleet was also settled here, Zhang said.

To make it a better place to live, Germany also invested a large amount of money in public facilities. At that time, there were two districts and two towns in Qingdao, including Dabao Island District which was for Europeans and rich Chinese and Taidong and Taixi towns which were for poor Chinese and immigrants.

Zhang suggested building a museum on the battery to commemorate the city’s military history.